Arch brick



' 1,463,356 G. DENNEY July 31, 1923.

ARCH BRICK Filed July o. .1920 3 Sheets-Sheet '1 v July 31, 1923.

G. C. DENNEY ARCH BRICK Fild July 20.

1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

. July 31, 1923.

' v G. c. DENNEY ARCH BRICK Filed July 20, 1920 a smu -sheer 5 WIT/145 5.

S T T GUY CARLETON DENNEY, OF HINSDALE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN ARCH COMPANY, A, CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ARCH BRICK.

Application filed m 20. 1920. Serial No. 397,619, v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUY CARLETON Drin- NEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hinsdale, in the county of Du Page and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Arch Bricks, of which the following is a specificatlon.

This invention relates to arch bricks, such as used in locomotive fire boxes, for example, and one of the primary objects of the invention is to provide a self-adjusting brick which will automatically accommodate itself to wide'variations in the distances between the arch brick supporting members, such as the circulation tubes, or the side sheets and the outer or end circulation tubes,

'whereby it is possible to greatly reduce the number of the sizes of bricks which have hitherto been found necessary and whereby production will be greatly simplified.

4 More specifically stated, my invention contemplates the provision of a multi part brick, the parts of which are complementary and are adapted to provide a mutually supporting interlock, which is automatically self adjusting to accommodate the brick to varying spans between supporting members.

V I accomplish the foregoing, together with p such other objects as may hereinafter appear, by means of a construction the preferred embodiments of which I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section through a portion of a locomotive fire box illustrating an arch made of bricks embodying my improvement; Figure 2 is a horizontal longitudinal section through the fire box of Figure 1 illustrating the arch in plan view; Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 are enlarged detail views illustrating the manner in which the brick accommodates itself to variations in the distances between support ing members; Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the members constituting part of a brick; Figure 8 is a view correspondingto Figure 3, but illustrating a modification of my invention; Figure 9 is a vertical longitudinal section through a locomotive fire box of the siphon type having an arch made in accordance with my improvements; Figure 1 isa section taken on the line 10-10 of Figure 9, drawn on an enlarged scale; Figure 11 is a "iew corresponding to Figure 10 but showing a fire box in which the span between the siphons is different from that hown in Figure 10; Figure 12 is a cross section through a siphon fire box illustrating another form of arch composed of myin proved bricks; Figures 13 and 1.4 are detall views illustrating a modification of the bricks shown in Figures 3 to 7 inclusive;

and Figure 15 is a perspective view of one of the brick forming parts in Figures 13 and 14. a

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, it wil be seen that I have therein illustrated a standard form of fire box A having the usual circulation tubes 7 and side sheets 8. The reference letter indicates the brick arch which is supported on the tubes, said arch consisting of three rows of center bricks and the two rows of wing or side bricks.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 7 inclusive,

,chamfered surface 12' and the end of the projecting portion 11 is oppositely inclined or chamfered, as at 13. 'When a pair of the buck members I) are assembled, the respec tive projecting portions 11 fit into the re- 4 spective cut away portions, the surfaces 13 and 12 engaging each other to support the parts. By reason of their inclination they freely ride on each other, so that the brick will accommodate itself, for example, to a minimum span between tubes, such as shown in Figure 4 ;"a normal span such as indicated in Figure 3 an intermediate span such as indicated 'in Figure 5; and a maximum span such as indicated in Figure 6. When the bricks are in place. the first run will serve to fuse or freeze the abutting edges of the brick members so that thereafter the necessity of brick functions as a solid member which is capable of removal as a whole, ust as the standard bricks heretofore used.

In Figure 8 T have shown a brick which is made of counter-part halves 6 constructed in the same general manner as the members b but having a single tube engaging socket 14 formed directly in the end face.

i Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, 1t will be seen that the construction of the brick members I) is such that one of such members can be used as a wing brick which will be socketed on the outer or end tubes and will have its inclined projecting portion resting against the side sheets.

It will be seen from the foregoingthat I will not only reduce the number of sizes of bricks heretofore found necessary for center bricks to meet the variations and differences between arch tubes, but also eliminate the providing special wing bricks. T have found that variations ofat least 4 inches may be readily compensated for witha brick of this type.

Referring now to Figures 9 to 11 inclus-ive, it will be seen that the general construction of bricks may be utilized in a fire box having interior water legs or siphons 16. Such a siphon construction comprises a lower portion 16 of bulb-like cross section which merges into a forward tubular portion 16 (see Fig. 9) communicating with the forward water leg 18 of the fire box A and an upwardly extending water leg portion 16 having a slot-like opening in the crown sheet 19 extending between the forward upper edge 16 and the rear upper edge 16 In the embodiment shown, only the center bricks b" of the arch are made in accordance with my improvementsywhile the wing bricks 17 are of standard construction. The center bricks b have the same interengaging self-adjusting features, the only difference being that the ends thereof are rounded, as at 15, to fit the siphon. In Figure 10 T have shown a normal span between the siphons and in Figure 11, a mmimum span.

If desired, the brick members I) may be utilized to form the wing brick as well as the center brick. and I have shown such a construction in Figure 12.

In some instances it may be desirable to provide the cut away and projecting portions of the bricks with roughened, corrugated or serrated surfaces such as indicated at 12' and 13 on the bricks b in Figures 13 to 15, to insure a firmer grip between the brick forming parts.

The arch structure herein disclosed constitutes what may be termed a three-hinge construction in which the center hinge is movable vertically as the distance between the two outer hinges varies horizontally. The center or pivot point of the central ber opens or faces upwardly and forms an obtuse angle with respect to the upper surface of the brick while the surface 13 opens or faces downwardly and forms an acute angle with the upper surface of the brick. The surfaces 12 and 13 are so disposed that their planes do not intersect within the body of the brick member and when two members are placed together the surface 12 on one rides or slides across the surface 13 on the other until they have adjusted or accommodated themselves to. the space between the members which support them. This accommodation is made possible .over substantial variations in the distances between supports by virtue of the fact that the center hinge permits acute fiexure of the members as distinguished from the slight and insignificant degree of adjustment which has been possible in constructions heretofore in use, such, for example, as the well-known tongue and groove interlock.

I claim I 1. An arch brick member having along one edge an arch brick support engaging surface and having on its opposite edge a cut back portion having an inclined end surface and a projecting portion having an oppositely inclined end surface, the planes k assuming a position in a horizontal plane b low the horizontal. plane which marks the upper limit of the supporting bearing contact.

3.-A.n arch brick forming member for fire boxes in which the arch includes members leaning against each other in pairs,

having support engaging means at one end i and member engaging means at the other end, said member engaging means comprismg a projecting nose having an inclined surface forming an acute angle with the upper face of the member and a recess havmg an oppositely inclined surface formi g an obtuse angle with the upper face of the member, the planes of said surfaces, however, being so disposed as not to intersect at any point or line within the body of the member. I 4. A brick member of the character which is adapted to lean against a similar memher in an arch construction, having on its leaning end a projecting nose and a cut- 10 away portion or recess, the projecting nose their planes do not; intersect within the body of the member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name. 1

GUY CARLETON DENNE'Y. 

